Parking attendant scammers rip off drivers with impunity

A man collects money from drivers at an Embarcadero parking lot despite signs saying there is no attendant on duty. Parking lot operators later identified the man as George Anderson, who a port official confirmed had been arrested several times for scamming drivers. (John Cote / The Chronicle)

It’s been a year and a half since a chronic scammer named Fofana Mbemba got the city’s attention on the issue of parking attendant impersonators – people who pretend to be working at a self-service parking lot and take unsuspecting drivers’ money.

And with major events like the America’s Cup regatta approaching, it doesn’t seem like much has changed.

Not only is Mbemba’s rap sheet now 13 pages long, including at least seven arrests since his mug shot was splashed on TV in July 2011, but others are in on the game as well.

On Saturday the City Insider spotted a man collecting money from drivers at the Seawall Lot 314 parking lot near Pier 39 and the Alcatraz ferry embarkation point, despite signs saying there is no attendant on duty at the lot.

Other parking lot operators later identified the man from photos as George Anderson, describing him as a serial impersonator. A port official confirmed police had arrested the man several times for scamming drivers.

But not this time. The man in question bolted before officers arrived, which was about 10 minutes after the incident was logged by dispatch, Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.

A Dec. 2 e-mail from police Officer Josh Tiumalu to other port officials said that the day before, he had caught Anderson impersonating a parking attendant and charging two people $50 each to park at the same lot at Bay and Kearny streets where he was spotted Saturday. One of the victims was cooperating with police, and Tiumalu wrote that he had requested a stay-away order for Anderson regarding the parking lot.

Rip Malloy, the northern waterfront property manager for the port, replied the next day:

“Nice. Is there anything you need from me to get the Stay Away Order in place? We’d like the Stay Away from all Port property, from Piers 30-32 to Hyde Street Harbor.”

The scam is pretty simple. The thieves pick a parking lot, often along the waterfront, where drivers are supposed to pay into a machine. The scammer pretends to be a parking lot attendant, often with fake receipts for the dashboard, and collects money from drivers as they pull in. Besides being out money, unsuspecting drivers often wind up with a parking ticket when the legitimate staff checks the machine to see who paid for parking.

It was July 2011 when then-Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi introduced an non-binding resolution urging the police, district attorney’s office and port to coordinate efforts to rein in such scammers. It even mentioned Mbemba by name, saying he “has been arrested at least 14 times for similar crimes and has been convicted and sent to state prison, yet repeatedly has returned to the waterfront to engage in more scams.”

Mbemba was arrested at least as recently as Nov. 17 for attempting to obtain money under false pretenses, contempt of court and resisting or obstructing a police officer, records show.

Petty theft cases are misdemeanors, though, and not the top priority of police or prosecutors. Officials describe a system where those arrested are typically back out on the street in a matter of hours.

“In no time he’s right back on the street,” said Renée Dunn Martin, a spokeswoman for the port. “The bigger issue is to have some kind of charge that accounts for the repeat nature” of the crime.